DuVal’s Diallo wins state wrestling title

After losing in the state finals two years ago, undefeated Diallo dominates in his senior season

DuVal High School senior Thierno Diallo defeated Tanner Saluter of Thomas Stone to win the 126-pound state title at the Saturday’s Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association wrestling championships held at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Brian Lewis/The Gazette
2013 State Wrestling Championships were held at University of Maryland's Cole Field House Friday and Saturday. In 126, Thierno Diallo of DuVal defeated Tanner Saluter of Thomas Stone.

DuVal High School senior Thierno Diallo defeated Tanner Saluter of Thomas Stone to win the 126-pound state title at the Saturday’s Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association wrestling championships held at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Despite a disappointing Saturday morning for Prince George’s County wrestlers at the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association wrestling state tournament, DuVal’s Thierno Diallo represented the county by winning his first state title and completing an undefeated senior season.

Diallo was matched up against Thomas Stone’s Tanner Saluter in the 126-pound championship at the University of Maryland’s Cole Field House. Diallo, who finished third last season in the state tournament and lost in the state finals the year before that, won his first three state tournament matches in easy fashion, outscoring his opponents by a combined 38-0 before the finals.

The standout senior is DuVal’s first state champion since Mike Free won in the 189-pound weight class in 1990.

“Losing two years ago in the state finals was the best thing that could have happened to him,” DuVal coach Cortez Hayes said. “It refocused him.”

Diallo seemed determined throughout the tournament, right down to his nonchalant celebration after his hand was raised in the 7-1 victory.

In the match itself, Diallo (35-0) took an early lead with a takedown in the first period and entered the second period leading, 2-1 after Saluter recorded an escape.

The pair were neutral to begin the second period until Diallo executed a quick takedown with a minute left to take a 4-1 lead. When the two met in the 4A/3A South Region tournament, Diallo downed Saluter, 8-1.

“I put all the work that I’ve put into this in perspective before the match so when it came time to wrestle, I was mentally prepared,” Diallo said.

In the third period, Diallo recorded an escape after starting on bottom and held on from there, adding another takedown for a comfortable six-point win.

“It’s both good and bad wrestling against someone you’ve wrestled before,” Diallo said. “On one hand I knew I could beat him and on the other hand, they always come back with a chip on their shoulder.”

In a riveting third-place matchup, Eleanor Roosevelt’s Casey Wokocha held South River’s Anthony Rossi down for the entire second period as the pair entered the third in a scoreless tie. With Wokocha on bottom to begin the third period, Wokocha scored a reversal after nearly having back points scored against him to take a 2-0 lead with 47 seconds remaining.

Wokocha then received three points for a near fall and hung on for the 5-0 win and a third-place finish.

“It feels good,” said Wokocha, a junior, “but first and second are better. I definitely plan to keep wrestling next year.”

The kicker here is that Wokocha has only been wrestling for three months. He picked up the sport in December when a friend suggested he give it a try.

Charles H. Flowers 160-pounder Clyde McBride finished fourth. He lost Saturday morning in the semifinals but beat Paint Branch’s Malik Kelly to reach the third-place match. There, he ran into a tough wrestler from Hammond, Bryan Overton, who won, 11-1.

DuVal continued its success in the tournament with heavyweight Bola Adeboyku capturing fifth in a convincing 11-3 major decision victory against Sherwood’s Adrian Arevalo.

Surrattsville’s Mareico Green rounded out his solid tournament with a fifth-place finish — the highest-ever for the four-year varsity wrestler. Green defeated Wade Bishop from North Caroline, 14-9.

“I know the program at Surrattsville will continue to be successful,” said Green, who was the Hornets’ lone wrestler three years ago.

Oxon Hill’s Darrian Hollings finished sixth after losing to Tuscarora’s Billy Mills in the final match of his high school tenure.

Meanwhile, Parkdale — which had an uncharacteristically poor Friday — had only one wrestler place. Terry Nance finished sixth for the Panthers after losing to Winston Churchill’s Matt Schleckser, in the 195-pound fifth-place match.